ioo The Naturalist in La Plata. 



to fly, it is because the impression produced in its senses by the 

 approaching man entails, through an incipiently reflex action, a 

 partial excitement of all those nerves Avhich in its ancestors had 

 been excited under the like conditions ; that this partial excitement 

 has its accompanying painful consciousness, and that the vague 

 painful consciousness thus arising constitutes emotion proper 

 emotion undecomposaUe into specific experiences, and, therefore, 

 seemingly homogeneous." (Essays, vol. i. p. 320.) 



It is comforting to know that the " unavoidable inference " is, 

 after all, erroneous, and that the nervous system in birds has not 

 yet been organically altered as a result of man's persecution ; for 

 in that case it would take long to undo the mischief, and we 

 should be indeed far from that " better friendship " with the 

 children of the air which many of us would like to sec. 



